http://blog.autospeed.com/2007/05/19/rear-wheel-drive-can-be-dangerous/ AutoSpeed's Blog. Opinion and Auto News Comment Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:07:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://blog.autospeed.com/2007/05/19/rear-wheel-drive-can-be-dangerous/comment-page-1/#comment-76031 Heather_Dee Wed, 08 Apr 2009 02:31:16 +0000 http://blog.autospeed.com/2007/05/19/rear-wheel-drive-can-be-dangerous/#comment-76031 In that situation it does make sense that RWD would be potentially more dangerous. I recall the FWD vs. RWD arguments of my youth. The conclusion that we came to was that they traded places depending upon the situation. It looks like not much has changed. In that situation it does make sense that RWD would be potentially more dangerous. I recall the FWD vs. RWD arguments of my youth. The conclusion that we came to was that they traded places depending upon the situation. It looks like not much has changed.

]]> http://blog.autospeed.com/2007/05/19/rear-wheel-drive-can-be-dangerous/comment-page-1/#comment-11 bob Wed, 25 Jul 2007 02:39:49 +0000 http://blog.autospeed.com/2007/05/19/rear-wheel-drive-can-be-dangerous/#comment-11 I kept my late EF 11 5 speed Futura on the standard compliant springs but added Pedders Touring Black (again compliant) shocks and new Yokohama tyres and found it less prone to bumping and slipping around the wet hinterland roads than stiffer set ups like Fred. (I tried Gabrial sports gas shocks and thought them skittisk and they ruined the slow speed ride). I replaced the Falcon with a Magna Sports 5 speed auto which was a great car in many ways but which I have now sold after becoming tired of the front drive nose heaviness when cornering; down hill and off - camber bends with undulations emphasised the nose heavy feeling. I have mostly towed with rwd ( Torana 6 and v8 autos and HQ Statesman v8, and even a rotary Mazda) and again emphasise compliant suspension and good dampers combined with the smoothing effect of an auto transmission makes for a good towing setup. We regularly towed a speedboat over the Great Dividing Range and found that a basic level ride (Hayman reece) made a big improvement even on the big, heavy Statesman. Towing with fwd presents problems with slippery uphill starts, most noticable on boat ramps. I reckon a Magna AWD would be a perfect middleweight towcar and great all rounnd sports sedan and am currently shopping one against a BA XR6 or Ghia (for it's more compliant suspension settings). Your comments elsewhere about Magna's feeling old before their time parallels my own experience and I attribute this to the compromises inherent in feeding lots of tourque through the front end. However lots of torque makes for relaxed towing (on both the car and the driver) provided you tread lightly on the throtle in wet conditions. Traction control and ABS both seem to be really worth having and should further tame a powerful rwd car. I kept my late EF 11 5 speed Futura on the standard compliant springs but added Pedders Touring Black (again compliant) shocks and new Yokohama tyres and found it less prone to bumping and slipping around the wet hinterland roads than stiffer set ups like Fred. (I tried Gabrial sports gas shocks and thought them skittisk and they ruined the slow speed ride). I replaced the Falcon with a Magna Sports 5 speed auto which was a great car in many ways but which I have now sold after becoming tired of the front drive nose heaviness when cornering; down hill and off – camber bends with undulations emphasised the nose heavy feeling. I have mostly towed with rwd ( Torana 6 and v8 autos and HQ Statesman v8, and even a rotary Mazda) and again emphasise compliant suspension and good dampers combined with the smoothing effect of an auto transmission makes for a good towing setup. We regularly towed a speedboat over the Great Dividing Range and found that a basic level ride (Hayman reece) made a big improvement even on the big, heavy Statesman. Towing with fwd presents problems with slippery uphill starts, most noticable on boat ramps. I reckon a Magna AWD would be a perfect middleweight towcar and great all rounnd sports sedan and am currently shopping one against a BA XR6 or Ghia (for it’s more compliant suspension settings). Your comments elsewhere about Magna’s feeling old before their time parallels my own experience and I attribute this to the compromises inherent in feeding lots of tourque through the front end. However lots of torque makes for relaxed towing (on both the car and the driver) provided you tread lightly on the throtle in wet conditions. Traction control and ABS both seem to be really worth having and should further tame a powerful rwd car.

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